Lazy Friday Afternoon: Chicken Karaage... take 1

No back story behind why this recipe came to be. Just me, at home after a long day of CPR practical in the morning, a thing of chicken thighs in the fridge, and nothing to do. Well okay... you want a story? I love crispy chicken at TeaWay or Quickly... so I want to learn how to do it myself. There... hm. Not much of a story is that? XD

Anyways, I was checking out Just Hungry's recipe for this fried chicken dish. Only thing I did different is that I added fresh rough-chopped garlic. Garlic is good. Me like garlic. XD Next time I attempt this dish again, I'd probably would want to grate the garlic. Do be carful with the grater if you are using it, I almost grated my finger when I got my ginger down to a nub. May be next time, I'd add some fresh cracked black pepper to give a little heat. Not too much. I think after frying, the chicken pieces' juice started to "decrispify". One thing I would do different next time I try this recipe again would be to just DREDGE the chicken pieces in the cornstarch. It gives a crispier crunch. What I did wrong was mix a pile of chicken into my cornstarch mound. That was a fail for me, because the marinade on the chicken totally just "gravified" the cornstarch.

My family gave me the yum-approve stamp... but only complaint is that it could have been saltier. Well... I only marinaded it for shy of an hour, because Just Hungry's site said not to marinade for no more than an hour because it may get too salty. But know... you can sprinkle a little salt after frying, or make a little dipping sauce for it.

But overall, a very easy and simple recipe. Hardest part is frying. There is another option for those who doesn't want to deal with a pan of frying oil, try baking it. Uhh... If I have the time, I will probably try baking this, but find a way to keep the crispy crunch.

Another pic from my cell's camera... but this turned out better! =D

Ingredients:

2 piece chicken thigh, boneless and cut into bite size pieces

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sake

1 piece fresh ginger, grated

1-2 clove garlic, grated or minced

2-4 cups oil (I used vegetable oil, but I recommend using peanut oil for frying)

cornstarch

How-To:

- Trim chicken meat of fat and skin for healthier option. Leaving skin on can provide more crunch when fried.

- Chop chicken thigh meat into bite size pieces.

- In a zip top bag (ziplock gallon bag is good), add the ginger, garlic, sake, soy sauce, and chicken pieces. Close bag, and give a little mix to get all the pieces nicely coated.

- Let chicken marinade for 30 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

- After chicken marinade, heat a pan with 2-4 cups of oil.

- In the meantime, on a plate, add a mound of cornstarch, and dredge each chicken piece. Give an even coating, shake off excess.

- Once oil is hot... (Do the wooden chopstick method: take one wooden chopstick and dip it into the oil. If you see lots of little bubbles surrounding it, the oil is ready), add a few pieces of chicken at a time. Fry until golden brown.

- Once golden brown, take chicken pieces out of oil, and place on a plate lined with some paper towels to drain excess oil.

- Once cooled, transfer chicken onto a serving plate, and serve with a wedge of lemon and/or some dipping sauce.

Recipe is as follows in Just Hungry's... I just added garlic.... ahhh! I knew I forgot something! The Korean red pepper powder! I still have a big bag of it, and was planning on what to do with it! *Fail slap on the forehead* Next time... next time. (=_=) *goes to take off apron*